The field of this disclosure relates generally to hole diggers and, more particularly, to blades used with manually-operated hole diggers.
Generally there are two main types of hole diggers for making post holes in the ground. The first is powered by a power source and usually includes an auger type bit that rotates into the ground. The powered type usually makes an easy task of drilling a hole and removing the dirt and rock from the hole. However, the use of powered hole diggers may be limited as such diggers are usually expensive and require some sort of fuel to operate. Most fossil fuels are hazardous, combustible, and can be messy to use.
The second type of hole diggers are manually-operated and are formed in a two-blade clamping style with a handle attached to each of the two identical blades. Known blades are typically 6-8 inches long and are pivotally coupled together. The blades are driven into the ground by holding the handles parallel and striking the ground with the tips of the blades. The user then pulls the handles away from each other to force the blades to move towards each other, such that dirt is collected between the opposing blades. The user must hold the handles away from each other under tension in order not to release the material collected between the blades as the blades are removed from the hole being dug.
Manual hole diggers may also be limited in their use. For example, it may be difficult to penetrate hardened or rocky soil using conventional post hole diggers that include identical rounded shovel tips. A post hole digger is structured to dig a hole having a generally narrow cross-sectional area relative to the depth of the hole and a diameter that is slightly larger than the post being inserted into the hole. To dig a hole with a larger diameter generally requires a worker to “carve away” at the sides and edges of the perimeter of the hole being dug, such that the overall cross-sectional area of the hole is increased. The worker must then remove the dirt that falls into the hole. However, depending on the hardness of the soil, carving away the sides of the hole may be difficult. In addition, as the size of the hole is increased, the range of motion that the worker must act during each cycle may increase. Using a hole digger with longer handles may allow the worker to remove dirt from a deeper hole without bending over. However, increasing the size of the post hole digger may also increase its overall weight and thus may increase the amount of effort required by the worker. The energy to be expended by the worker generally depends on several factors including the weight of the post hole digger, the force required to operate the post hole digger, the amount of dirt collected during each cycle, and the range of motion through which a worker must act during each cycle.
There is a need for an improved manually-operated hole digger that is able to penetrate deeper through hardened or rocky in a manner that reduces the effort to be expended by the worker as compared to conventional hole diggers. In addition, there is a need for a hole digger that enables a worker to more easily remove more dirt and debris from the hole being dug during each cycle as compared to a conventional hole digger.